Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $1,768 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,768

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riyadh and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Riyadh and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,768 per month in Riyadh vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Riyadh $1,768
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $2,557 per month in Riyadh vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Riyadh $2,557
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $3,345 per month in Riyadh vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Riyadh $3,345
Medellin $3,139

Riyadh costs about 11% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Riyadh and Medellin sit above the global median – Riyadh by 32%, Medellin by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 SAR 30.34

$8.01 COP 25.8K

1.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 SAR 249

$46.55 COP 149.9K

42.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 SAR 30.45

$9.43 COP 30.4K

-14.00%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 SAR 8.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

Cappuccino

$4.34 SAR 16.30

$2.91 COP 9,374

49.14%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 SAR 3.24

$1.75 COP 5,643

-50.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 SAR 1.11

$1.32 COP 4,263

-77.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 10.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.9K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

$1.41 COP 4,542

25.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 SAR 4.97

$2.44 COP 7,858

-45.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 SAR 9.02

$1.63 COP 5,245

47.24%

Eggs

$3.06 SAR 11.48

$2.82 COP 9,084

8.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 SAR 39.89

$9.69 COP 31.2K

9.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 SAR 36.03

$9.32 COP 30.0K

3.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 SAR 56.2

$13.46 COP 43.3K

11.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 SAR 10.50

$4.00 COP 12.9K

-30.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.45

$1.48 COP 4,768

33.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 SAR 9.43

$2.12 COP 6,839

18.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.74

$2.25 COP 7,253

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 SAR 4.44

$1.91 COP 6,155

-38.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 SAR 5.01

$1.62 COP 5,214

-17.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 SAR 6.70

$1.15 COP 3,696

55.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.03

$1.26 COP 4,063

-57.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.11 SAR 30.42

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SAR 9.03

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.53 SAR 28.24

$3.82 COP 12.3K

97.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 42.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,136

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,263

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 SAR 3.95

$1.17 COP 3,770

-10.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.18 SAR 140

$75.0 COP 241.5K

-50.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 SAR 12.34

$1.27 COP 4,098

159.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 SAR 7.19

$2.05 COP 6,600

-6.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.43 SAR 50.4

$8.20 COP 26.4K

63.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.42

$1.27 COP 4,088

-48.82%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.6K SAR 130.0K

$26.8K COP 86.2M

29.33%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.8K SAR 85.7K

$34.4K COP 110.8M

-33.63%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$106 SAR 397

$162 COP 522.3K

-34.86%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$29.10 SAR 109

$13.12 COP 42.3K

121.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.7 SAR 273

$28.09 COP 90.5K

158.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 SAR 343

$44.33 COP 142.7K

106.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.4 SAR 212

$16.33 COP 52.6K

245.19%

Cinema Ticket

$13.20 SAR 49.55

$6.09 COP 19.6K

116.75%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$532 SAR 1,998

$764 COP 2.5M

-30.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

$8,904 COP 28.7M

14.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 SAR 215

$85.0 COP 273.6K

-32.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$57.5 COP 185.1K

-5.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 SAR 392

$132 COP 424.2K

-20.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 SAR 397

$95.8 COP 308.3K

10.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 SAR 4,544

$1,028 COP 3.3M

17.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 SAR 3,130

$604 COP 1.9M

37.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,223 SAR 8,341

$1,802 COP 5.8M

23.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 SAR 4,656

$993 COP 3.2M

24.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,011 SAR 11.3K

$3,921 COP 12.6M

-23.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 SAR 7,270

$1,639 COP 5.3M

18.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,037 SAR 7,644

$626 COP 2.0M

225.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

10.94

-49.36%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Riyadh: October 4, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Riyadh

$834 47.7%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 27.5% $230

Groceries & Markets

Riyadh

$242 13.9%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 19% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riyadh

$208 11.9%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 2% $4.1

Eating Out

Riyadh

$146 8.4%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 14.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Riyadh

$145 8.3%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 14.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Riyadh

$118 6.8%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 52.1% $61

Getting Around

Riyadh

$54 3.1%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 68.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,211 in Riyadh versus $1,028 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 225% higher in Riyadh, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Riyadh versus $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $242 in Riyadh vs $288 in Medellin – so Riyadh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

21:26 9:26 PM

8 h behind Riyadh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,188,286 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Riyadh Medellin 12,890 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Riyadh
Medellin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Riyadh vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Riyadh is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,652 per month in Riyadh and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Riyadh and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,768 in Riyadh and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 11%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Riyadh at $1,768. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Riyadh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Riyadh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.